CA1083249A - Optimized controller for solar panels - Google Patents
Optimized controller for solar panelsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1083249A CA1083249A CA267,246A CA267246A CA1083249A CA 1083249 A CA1083249 A CA 1083249A CA 267246 A CA267246 A CA 267246A CA 1083249 A CA1083249 A CA 1083249A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- solar panel
- heat exchange
- temperature
- sensing
- energization
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 230000006641 stabilisation Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000011105 stabilization Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000001419 dependent effect Effects 0.000 claims 4
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 abstract description 5
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 17
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 6
- 238000004378 air conditioning Methods 0.000 description 3
- 230000005855 radiation Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000003111 delayed effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000002674 ointment Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005086 pumping Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000011084 recovery Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000011435 rock Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000004576 sand Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000002344 surface layer Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
- G05D—SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- G05D23/00—Control of temperature
- G05D23/19—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means
- G05D23/1919—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means characterised by the type of controller
- G05D23/1924—Control of temperature characterised by the use of electric means characterised by the type of controller using thermal energy, the availability of which is aleatory
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
- F24S—SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
- F24S50/00—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors
- F24S50/40—Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors responsive to temperature
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/40—Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
Abstract
A system is disclosed for controlling the exchange of heat between a heat exchange medium and a solar panel which has an inlet and an outlet and a circulation control associated therewith for controlling the circulation of the heat exchange medium through the solar panel from its inlet to its outlet, the system improving the. amount of heat exchange between the heat exchange medium and the solar panel by sensing the temperature difference of the heat exchange medium at the outlet and the inlet of the solar panel and de-energizing the circulation control when the temperature of the heat exchange medium at the outlet approaches or becomes equal to the temperature of the heat exchange medium at the inlet.
Description
1083Z~9 OPTIMI ZFD CONTROLLER FOR SOLAR PANELS
-BACKGROUND OF THE INVF.NTION
The invention relates to a system for controlling the heat exchanging fluid supplied to a sol~r panel and, more particularly, relates to a system for optimizing the heat exchange ~unction between a solar panel and its heat exchange medium.
Although the subject invention can be used with or without a storage tank, with either a liquid or a gas as the exchange media, and although it is potential~y usable for either air conditioning or heating, for purposes of explanation of the invention it will be discussed in terms of a water exchange media extracting heat from the exposure of a solar panel to solar radiation and the storage of that heat in a storage tank. ID this regard, the prior art discloses water or othRr types of heat exchange media from solar radiation and circulatin~ this water or other media to a stora~e tank or bed where the heat imparted to the media by the solar panel is stored.
With water as the exchange media, a pump is usually included in a supply line from the storage tank to the solar ; panel for supplying the wa~er in the storage tanX from the tank to the panel and then through an outlet line from the panel back to the storage tank. A first temperature sensor located at the solar panel senses essentially the surface temperature or air temperature inside the solar panel and a second temperature sensor senses the temperature of the water stored in the tank. When the temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor is above the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor, the solar panel is capable of heating the water and the pump is energi2ed to begin the :- ' ' ' ' ~
1083;~9 circulation of water from the tank to th~ solar panel. At the solar panel, the water is heated and forced back to the tank through the outlet line. When the temperature of the stored water approaches, or is equal to, the temperature of the panel, the panel is no longer capable of performing its heat exchange function and the pump is de-energized. ~his system thus operates in a heatinq mode where heat can be derived from the solar panel to be supplied to the storage tank. It i8 also possible to operate this system in an air conditioning mode where~when the temperature of the storage tank is above the temperature of the solar panel ~n~, the water is circulated from the tank to the panel to impart the heat from the water to atmosphere.
The sensor located at the solar panel measures the 1~ skin surface or air temperature inside the solar panel and does not sense or recogni2e the inherent solar energy availab}e internally of the cell or panel due to its thermal capacity.
When the sun is no longer capable of providing recoverable energy (due to clouds or the end of daylight), the air or surface layer inside the cell will cool at a faster rate than will its total mass. The temperature sensors located at the solar panel and the storage tank will terminate the pumping aotion thus stopping the solar recovery cycle even though energy due to the capacitance effect of the panel is still available for storage. The present invention is designed to extract more heat from the solar panel by maintaining the water circulating from the storage tank through the solar pan~l ~s long as the internal capacitance of the solar panel is capable of supplying heat to the water.
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10832~9 SU~RY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, therefore, the circulation controller or circuit controlling the pump is energized when the hea~ exchange function between the solar cell and the heat exchange medium can be started. This energization can be performed by the prior art temperature sensors located at the solar panel and at the storage tank, if the storage tank is used, or a solar cell or other type of solar radiation sensor.
Once the heat exchange medium begins to circulate through the solar panel, the control of the circulation controller is transferred over to a system which measures the dif-ference of the temperatures at the inlet and outlet of the solar panel and de-energizes the circulation controller when the temperature of the heat exchange medium at the outlet approaches or falls to the temperature of the heat exchange medium at the inlet of the solar panel. In this manner, as long as the internal capacitance of the solar panel is capable of supplying heat to or taking heat away from the heat exchange medium, depending upon whether the system is operating in a heating mode or an air conditioning mode, the heat exchange medium will continue to be circulated through the solar panel.
In addition, once the circulation controller has begun the circulation of heat exchan~e medium through the solar panel, the circulation controller is maintained energized for a fixed period of time by a time delay circuit to allow the temperature of the heat exchange medium at the inlet and at the outlet to stabilize. Because ~0 , . . . .
1(~832~9 the heat exchange medium at the inlet and outlet pipes during de-energization will cool, the initial supply of heat exchange medium through the solar panel could cause temperature fluctuations which would otherwise falsely terminate the ener-gization of the circulation controller. Thus, the circulation controller is maintained energized for a fixed period of time to allow the stabilization of these temperatures. Moreover, the de-energization of the circulation controller is delayed for a fixed period of time after the system has determined that the internal capacitance of the solar panel can no longer effectuate the heat exchange between the panel and the heat exchange medium in order to prevent false stop signals which would prematurely terminate the heat exchange function.
Thus, in accordance with a broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for controlling the exchange of heat between a heat exchange medium and a solar panel, said solar panel having an inlet and an outlet and a circulation control means associated therewith for controlling the circulation of said heat exchange medium through said panel from said inlet to said outlet, said system comprising:
energization sensing means for supplying a first signal when heat exchange can be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium; de-energization sensing means for sen~ing the difference in temperatures of said heat exchange medium at said inlet and said outlet of said solar panel for supplying a second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium; and circuit means connected to said energization sensing means and said de-energization sensing means, said circuit means responsive to -said first signal for energizing said circulation control means to said second signal for de-energizing said circulation control means. ~ 4 r~
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features and advantages become apparent from a detailed consideration of the drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows the solar panel and storage tank located within a building which is to take advantage of the environ-mental heat exchange; and Figure 2 shows the control system for controlling the heat exchange between the solar panel and a heat exchange medium.
_ETAILED DESCRIPTION
In Figure 1, solar panel 11 is located on the roof of building 10, or may,be located in any other suitable location, for exposure to the outside of building 10 and the sun. A
storage tank 12 located in the basement or other convenient place in the building is connected to solar panel .
-4a-", ,t ' ` . , `: '.
., `' : :
'. .~ ' ''' " `
' . - ~ - ; '' 11 hy an inlet pipe 52 and by an outlet pipe 13. A pump 14 is located in the inlet pipe 52 for circulating heat exchange medium which may be water from the storage tank 12 to the solar panel 11. Tank 12 may store this water directly or may comprise a heat storing material such as sand, crushed rock or the like in which case the heat exchange medium is circulated through a coil in tank 12.
In order to energize the pump 14, an energization sensing apparatus, in the form of a temperature sensor 15 1 o B located adjacent the solar panel 11 to sense the surface temperature or air temperature inside the solar panel and a temperature sensor 16 t~rlocated to sense the temperature of the heat exchange medium within the storage tank 12, is provided to energize the pump 14 to circulate the heat exchange medium from the tank 12 to the solar panel 11. In heating applications, pump 14 will be energized when temperature sensor 15 indicates that the temperature of the solar panel 11 is above the temperature of the heat exchange medium in the tank 12 as indicated by temperature sensor 16 thus ~20 indicating that the heat exchange function can be started.
Once the pump 14 has been energized to begin the circulation of the heat exchange medium from tank 12 to the solar panel ll, control of the pump 14 is transferred to a de-energization sensing apparatus which may take the form of temperature sensors 17 and 18, located at the inlet and outlet pipes respectively of the solar panel 11. When the temperature of the heat exchange medium issuing from solar panel 11 through outlet pipe 13 approaches the temperature of the heating medium in the inlet pipe 52 to the solar panel 11 as indicated by temperature sensors 1.8 and 17 10832~9 respectively, the solar panel 11 is no lon~er capable of providing the heat exchange function to the heat exchange medium and, therefore, the pump 14 will be de-energized.
A pump 20 is provided in a supply pipe 21 connected to the storage tank 12 for supplying the heat exchange medium stored within the tank 12 or a heat exchange medium circulated through a coil in tank 12 to the various utilization apparatuses within the building. These apparatuses may, or example, include a furnace or radiators and hot water heaters.
The drain pipe of these apparatuses is shown as pipe 22 for returning the heat exchange medium from these apparatuses to the storage tank 12. The energization of the pump 20 can be controlled by temperature sensors within the buildi~g for . space temperature sensing or temperature sensors located at the hot water heaters, for example.
The circuit which responds to the temperature sensors 15-18 shown in Figure 1 is shown in Figure 2. Temperaturesensor 15 is connected to the TT terminals of a controller or comparator 25 which may be, for example, an R7082 manufactured by Honeywell Inc. This controller is a resistance type bridge controller which compares the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor lS to the temperature sensed by temperature sen~or 16 which is connected to the A and X
terminals of the controller 25. ~he controller 25 includes a relay for controlling the contacts shown between terminals 4 and : B 5 f the controller 25~ ~ the relay is energized and is de-energized as the bridge becomes unbalanced and balanced, the balance point of which is determined by the potentiometer arrangement 26. During the heating operation, when the ~0 temperature sensor 15 senses a temperature in the solar .
10832~9 panel 11 above that of the heat exchange medium stored in tank 12 as sensed by temperature sensor 16, the relay within the controller 25 is operated to close the contacts between points 4 and 5. This connects power from power supply line Ll through the contacts between points 4 and 5 through the coil 27 of relay 28 and back t.o line I.2. When energized, the relay 28 closes its contacts 4-5 and 7-8. Upon closure of contacts 7-8, relay 29 is energized to'close contacts 1-2 and 3-4 to energize pump 14 to begin the circulation of heat exchange medium from tank 12 to the solar panel 11. Also, when relay 28 is energized, contacts 4-5 close to energize a.
' time delay relay 30 which will open its normally closea contacts 9-10 after a predetermined amount of time. Moreover, the closure of contacts 4-5 of relay 28 establishes a circuit through line Ll., contacts 4-5 of relay 28, contacts 9-10 of relay 30 and relay coil 27 of relay 28 back,to line L2 to.
.
maintain the coil 27 energized and the pump 14 in turn energized for the predetermined length of time that relay 30 will hold its contacts 9-10 in the closed position. Thus, :20 any momentary temperature fluctuations as sensed by sensors 15 and 16 with the resultant opening o contacts 4-5 of ' contro~ler 25 will not interrupt the energization o the pump 14.
Control is now transferred to controller 40 w,hich '. 25 has its T-T terminaIs connected to sensor 17 at the inlet to' ' solar panel 11 and terminals A-X connécted to the sensor 18 at the outlet line 13 of the solar panel 11. The balance' point of the controller 40 is established by the potentiometer arrangement 41 which controls a relay for operating the contacts 3-4.- As long as the temperature issuin~ from the solar panel 11 through outlet pipe 18 is higher bv a predetermined , 10832~9 ~n B amount~t~e~rthe temperature of the heat exchange medium entering the solar panel 11 through pipe 52 as sensed by temperature sensor 17, contacts 3-4 will be maintained open With contacts 3-4 of the controller 40 open, relay 42 remains de-energized and its normally closed contacts closed. Time delay relay 30 may, for example, be set to operate after 10 ~inutes of its energization and the time delay relay 42 may be set to operate 5 minutes after its energization. After time delay relay 30 times out, the coil 27 of relay 28 is maintained energized solely by contacts 9-10 of time delay relay 42. When the temperature of the heat exchange medium flowing in pipe 13 approaches by a predetermined amount the temperature of the heat exchange medium in pipe 52, the relay within controller 40 will operate to close contacts 3-4 1~ thus energizing the time delay relay 42. Thus, even though the controller 40 ~as indicated that the operation of pump 14 should be terminated, time delay relay 42 will maintain this pump energized for a predetermined len~th of time.
After this time period has timed out, time delay relay 42 will open its contacts 9-10 to de-energize coil 27 of relay 28 resulting in the opening of contacts 7-8 to de-energize relay 29 to in turn de-energize the pump 14. The opening of contacts 4-5 resets timers 30 and 42. In this manner, the thermal capacitance of the solar panel 11 is utilizea to optimize the heat exchange between sol~r panel 11 and the heat exchange medium flowin~ in the pipes. Time delay relay 42 insures that false stop signals issued by the controller 40 will not result in the de-energization of pump 14. Thus, i the relay within the controller 40 opens contacts 3-4 before the time delay relay 42 times out, time delay relay . ~ .: . -.: .. . .......... - ~
~; :
,. ,.~
10832~9 42 will be de-energized but will not open its contacts.
Relay 28 may be an R482 and relays 30 and 42 may be relays ATC 322B014A12CS,-all of which are marketed by Honeywell Ltd. of Scarborough, Ontario. The system can be operated wi~hout relay 30 if the delay of relay 42 is made long enough. However, the inclusion of both relays 30 and 42 adds a measure of flexibility to the invention.
In view of the present disclosure, it is apparent that certain modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention and, therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.
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. ~
-BACKGROUND OF THE INVF.NTION
The invention relates to a system for controlling the heat exchanging fluid supplied to a sol~r panel and, more particularly, relates to a system for optimizing the heat exchange ~unction between a solar panel and its heat exchange medium.
Although the subject invention can be used with or without a storage tank, with either a liquid or a gas as the exchange media, and although it is potential~y usable for either air conditioning or heating, for purposes of explanation of the invention it will be discussed in terms of a water exchange media extracting heat from the exposure of a solar panel to solar radiation and the storage of that heat in a storage tank. ID this regard, the prior art discloses water or othRr types of heat exchange media from solar radiation and circulatin~ this water or other media to a stora~e tank or bed where the heat imparted to the media by the solar panel is stored.
With water as the exchange media, a pump is usually included in a supply line from the storage tank to the solar ; panel for supplying the wa~er in the storage tanX from the tank to the panel and then through an outlet line from the panel back to the storage tank. A first temperature sensor located at the solar panel senses essentially the surface temperature or air temperature inside the solar panel and a second temperature sensor senses the temperature of the water stored in the tank. When the temperature sensed by the first temperature sensor is above the temperature sensed by the second temperature sensor, the solar panel is capable of heating the water and the pump is energi2ed to begin the :- ' ' ' ' ~
1083;~9 circulation of water from the tank to th~ solar panel. At the solar panel, the water is heated and forced back to the tank through the outlet line. When the temperature of the stored water approaches, or is equal to, the temperature of the panel, the panel is no longer capable of performing its heat exchange function and the pump is de-energized. ~his system thus operates in a heatinq mode where heat can be derived from the solar panel to be supplied to the storage tank. It i8 also possible to operate this system in an air conditioning mode where~when the temperature of the storage tank is above the temperature of the solar panel ~n~, the water is circulated from the tank to the panel to impart the heat from the water to atmosphere.
The sensor located at the solar panel measures the 1~ skin surface or air temperature inside the solar panel and does not sense or recogni2e the inherent solar energy availab}e internally of the cell or panel due to its thermal capacity.
When the sun is no longer capable of providing recoverable energy (due to clouds or the end of daylight), the air or surface layer inside the cell will cool at a faster rate than will its total mass. The temperature sensors located at the solar panel and the storage tank will terminate the pumping aotion thus stopping the solar recovery cycle even though energy due to the capacitance effect of the panel is still available for storage. The present invention is designed to extract more heat from the solar panel by maintaining the water circulating from the storage tank through the solar pan~l ~s long as the internal capacitance of the solar panel is capable of supplying heat to the water.
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: . ~ . ' ' `
10832~9 SU~RY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, therefore, the circulation controller or circuit controlling the pump is energized when the hea~ exchange function between the solar cell and the heat exchange medium can be started. This energization can be performed by the prior art temperature sensors located at the solar panel and at the storage tank, if the storage tank is used, or a solar cell or other type of solar radiation sensor.
Once the heat exchange medium begins to circulate through the solar panel, the control of the circulation controller is transferred over to a system which measures the dif-ference of the temperatures at the inlet and outlet of the solar panel and de-energizes the circulation controller when the temperature of the heat exchange medium at the outlet approaches or falls to the temperature of the heat exchange medium at the inlet of the solar panel. In this manner, as long as the internal capacitance of the solar panel is capable of supplying heat to or taking heat away from the heat exchange medium, depending upon whether the system is operating in a heating mode or an air conditioning mode, the heat exchange medium will continue to be circulated through the solar panel.
In addition, once the circulation controller has begun the circulation of heat exchan~e medium through the solar panel, the circulation controller is maintained energized for a fixed period of time by a time delay circuit to allow the temperature of the heat exchange medium at the inlet and at the outlet to stabilize. Because ~0 , . . . .
1(~832~9 the heat exchange medium at the inlet and outlet pipes during de-energization will cool, the initial supply of heat exchange medium through the solar panel could cause temperature fluctuations which would otherwise falsely terminate the ener-gization of the circulation controller. Thus, the circulation controller is maintained energized for a fixed period of time to allow the stabilization of these temperatures. Moreover, the de-energization of the circulation controller is delayed for a fixed period of time after the system has determined that the internal capacitance of the solar panel can no longer effectuate the heat exchange between the panel and the heat exchange medium in order to prevent false stop signals which would prematurely terminate the heat exchange function.
Thus, in accordance with a broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for controlling the exchange of heat between a heat exchange medium and a solar panel, said solar panel having an inlet and an outlet and a circulation control means associated therewith for controlling the circulation of said heat exchange medium through said panel from said inlet to said outlet, said system comprising:
energization sensing means for supplying a first signal when heat exchange can be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium; de-energization sensing means for sen~ing the difference in temperatures of said heat exchange medium at said inlet and said outlet of said solar panel for supplying a second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium; and circuit means connected to said energization sensing means and said de-energization sensing means, said circuit means responsive to -said first signal for energizing said circulation control means to said second signal for de-energizing said circulation control means. ~ 4 r~
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features and advantages become apparent from a detailed consideration of the drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows the solar panel and storage tank located within a building which is to take advantage of the environ-mental heat exchange; and Figure 2 shows the control system for controlling the heat exchange between the solar panel and a heat exchange medium.
_ETAILED DESCRIPTION
In Figure 1, solar panel 11 is located on the roof of building 10, or may,be located in any other suitable location, for exposure to the outside of building 10 and the sun. A
storage tank 12 located in the basement or other convenient place in the building is connected to solar panel .
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., `' : :
'. .~ ' ''' " `
' . - ~ - ; '' 11 hy an inlet pipe 52 and by an outlet pipe 13. A pump 14 is located in the inlet pipe 52 for circulating heat exchange medium which may be water from the storage tank 12 to the solar panel 11. Tank 12 may store this water directly or may comprise a heat storing material such as sand, crushed rock or the like in which case the heat exchange medium is circulated through a coil in tank 12.
In order to energize the pump 14, an energization sensing apparatus, in the form of a temperature sensor 15 1 o B located adjacent the solar panel 11 to sense the surface temperature or air temperature inside the solar panel and a temperature sensor 16 t~rlocated to sense the temperature of the heat exchange medium within the storage tank 12, is provided to energize the pump 14 to circulate the heat exchange medium from the tank 12 to the solar panel 11. In heating applications, pump 14 will be energized when temperature sensor 15 indicates that the temperature of the solar panel 11 is above the temperature of the heat exchange medium in the tank 12 as indicated by temperature sensor 16 thus ~20 indicating that the heat exchange function can be started.
Once the pump 14 has been energized to begin the circulation of the heat exchange medium from tank 12 to the solar panel ll, control of the pump 14 is transferred to a de-energization sensing apparatus which may take the form of temperature sensors 17 and 18, located at the inlet and outlet pipes respectively of the solar panel 11. When the temperature of the heat exchange medium issuing from solar panel 11 through outlet pipe 13 approaches the temperature of the heating medium in the inlet pipe 52 to the solar panel 11 as indicated by temperature sensors 1.8 and 17 10832~9 respectively, the solar panel 11 is no lon~er capable of providing the heat exchange function to the heat exchange medium and, therefore, the pump 14 will be de-energized.
A pump 20 is provided in a supply pipe 21 connected to the storage tank 12 for supplying the heat exchange medium stored within the tank 12 or a heat exchange medium circulated through a coil in tank 12 to the various utilization apparatuses within the building. These apparatuses may, or example, include a furnace or radiators and hot water heaters.
The drain pipe of these apparatuses is shown as pipe 22 for returning the heat exchange medium from these apparatuses to the storage tank 12. The energization of the pump 20 can be controlled by temperature sensors within the buildi~g for . space temperature sensing or temperature sensors located at the hot water heaters, for example.
The circuit which responds to the temperature sensors 15-18 shown in Figure 1 is shown in Figure 2. Temperaturesensor 15 is connected to the TT terminals of a controller or comparator 25 which may be, for example, an R7082 manufactured by Honeywell Inc. This controller is a resistance type bridge controller which compares the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor lS to the temperature sensed by temperature sen~or 16 which is connected to the A and X
terminals of the controller 25. ~he controller 25 includes a relay for controlling the contacts shown between terminals 4 and : B 5 f the controller 25~ ~ the relay is energized and is de-energized as the bridge becomes unbalanced and balanced, the balance point of which is determined by the potentiometer arrangement 26. During the heating operation, when the ~0 temperature sensor 15 senses a temperature in the solar .
10832~9 panel 11 above that of the heat exchange medium stored in tank 12 as sensed by temperature sensor 16, the relay within the controller 25 is operated to close the contacts between points 4 and 5. This connects power from power supply line Ll through the contacts between points 4 and 5 through the coil 27 of relay 28 and back t.o line I.2. When energized, the relay 28 closes its contacts 4-5 and 7-8. Upon closure of contacts 7-8, relay 29 is energized to'close contacts 1-2 and 3-4 to energize pump 14 to begin the circulation of heat exchange medium from tank 12 to the solar panel 11. Also, when relay 28 is energized, contacts 4-5 close to energize a.
' time delay relay 30 which will open its normally closea contacts 9-10 after a predetermined amount of time. Moreover, the closure of contacts 4-5 of relay 28 establishes a circuit through line Ll., contacts 4-5 of relay 28, contacts 9-10 of relay 30 and relay coil 27 of relay 28 back,to line L2 to.
.
maintain the coil 27 energized and the pump 14 in turn energized for the predetermined length of time that relay 30 will hold its contacts 9-10 in the closed position. Thus, :20 any momentary temperature fluctuations as sensed by sensors 15 and 16 with the resultant opening o contacts 4-5 of ' contro~ler 25 will not interrupt the energization o the pump 14.
Control is now transferred to controller 40 w,hich '. 25 has its T-T terminaIs connected to sensor 17 at the inlet to' ' solar panel 11 and terminals A-X connécted to the sensor 18 at the outlet line 13 of the solar panel 11. The balance' point of the controller 40 is established by the potentiometer arrangement 41 which controls a relay for operating the contacts 3-4.- As long as the temperature issuin~ from the solar panel 11 through outlet pipe 18 is higher bv a predetermined , 10832~9 ~n B amount~t~e~rthe temperature of the heat exchange medium entering the solar panel 11 through pipe 52 as sensed by temperature sensor 17, contacts 3-4 will be maintained open With contacts 3-4 of the controller 40 open, relay 42 remains de-energized and its normally closed contacts closed. Time delay relay 30 may, for example, be set to operate after 10 ~inutes of its energization and the time delay relay 42 may be set to operate 5 minutes after its energization. After time delay relay 30 times out, the coil 27 of relay 28 is maintained energized solely by contacts 9-10 of time delay relay 42. When the temperature of the heat exchange medium flowing in pipe 13 approaches by a predetermined amount the temperature of the heat exchange medium in pipe 52, the relay within controller 40 will operate to close contacts 3-4 1~ thus energizing the time delay relay 42. Thus, even though the controller 40 ~as indicated that the operation of pump 14 should be terminated, time delay relay 42 will maintain this pump energized for a predetermined len~th of time.
After this time period has timed out, time delay relay 42 will open its contacts 9-10 to de-energize coil 27 of relay 28 resulting in the opening of contacts 7-8 to de-energize relay 29 to in turn de-energize the pump 14. The opening of contacts 4-5 resets timers 30 and 42. In this manner, the thermal capacitance of the solar panel 11 is utilizea to optimize the heat exchange between sol~r panel 11 and the heat exchange medium flowin~ in the pipes. Time delay relay 42 insures that false stop signals issued by the controller 40 will not result in the de-energization of pump 14. Thus, i the relay within the controller 40 opens contacts 3-4 before the time delay relay 42 times out, time delay relay . ~ .: . -.: .. . .......... - ~
~; :
,. ,.~
10832~9 42 will be de-energized but will not open its contacts.
Relay 28 may be an R482 and relays 30 and 42 may be relays ATC 322B014A12CS,-all of which are marketed by Honeywell Ltd. of Scarborough, Ontario. The system can be operated wi~hout relay 30 if the delay of relay 42 is made long enough. However, the inclusion of both relays 30 and 42 adds a measure of flexibility to the invention.
In view of the present disclosure, it is apparent that certain modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention and, therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.
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Claims (16)
1. A system for controlling the exchange of heat between a heat exchange medium and a solar panel, said solar panel having an inlet and an outlet and a circulation control means associated therewith for controlling the circulation of said heat exchange medium through said panel from said inlet to said outlet, said system comprising:
energization sensing means for supplying a first signal when heat exchange can be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium;
de-energization sensing means for sensing the difference in temperatures of said heat exchange medium at said inlet and said outlet of said solar panel for supplying a second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium; and circuit means connected to said energization sensing means and said de-energization sensing means, said circuit means responsive to said first signal for energizing said circulation control means and to said second signal for de-energizing said circulation control means.
energization sensing means for supplying a first signal when heat exchange can be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium;
de-energization sensing means for sensing the difference in temperatures of said heat exchange medium at said inlet and said outlet of said solar panel for supplying a second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium; and circuit means connected to said energization sensing means and said de-energization sensing means, said circuit means responsive to said first signal for energizing said circulation control means and to said second signal for de-energizing said circulation control means.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said solar panel has a storage tank associated therewith connected to said inlet and said outlet of said solar panel and wherein said energization sensing means comprises storage tank temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature in said storage tank, solar panel temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said solar panel, and comparator means connected to both said storage tank temperature sensing means and said solar panel temperature sensing means for providing said first signal dependent upon the temperatures of said solar panel and said storage tank.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein said de-energization sensing means comprises:
inlet temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said heat exchange medium at said inlet of said solar panel;
outlet temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said heat exchange medium at the outlet of said solar panel; and comparator means connected to said inlet and outlet temperature sensing means for supplying said second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium.
inlet temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said heat exchange medium at said inlet of said solar panel;
outlet temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said heat exchange medium at the outlet of said solar panel; and comparator means connected to said inlet and outlet temperature sensing means for supplying said second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein said circuit means comprises switch means responsive to said first signal for energizing said circulation control means.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein said circuit means further comprises time delay switch means connected to said switch means and to at least one of said energization and de-energization sensing means for maintaining said circulation control means energized for at least a predetermined length of time to allow stabilization of the temperatures of said heat exchange medium in said inlet and outlets of said solar panel.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein said time delay switch means comprises first time delay means connected to said energization sensing means for maintaining said circulation control means energized for at least a pre-determined length of time and second time delay means connected to said comparator means and to said first time delay means for delaying the de-energization of said circulation control means a predetermined length of time for preventing the turnoff of said circulation control means due to false signals.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein said solar panel has a storage tank associated therewith connected to said inlet and said outlet of said solar panel and wherein said energization sensing means comprises storage tank temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature in said storage tank, a solar panel temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said solar panel, and comparator means connected to both said storage tank and solar panel temperature sensing means and to said first time delay means and to said switch means for providing said first signal dependent upon the temperatures of said solar panel and said storage tank.
8. The system of claim 7 wherein said switch means comprises a relay having coil and contacts and wherein said first and second time relay switch means each comprises time delay relays.
9. A system for controlling the extracted heat from a solar panel to a storage container, said solar panel having an inlet and an outlet and a circulation control means (claim 9 cont.) associated therewith for controlling the circulation of a heat exchange medium from said storage container through said inlet to said solar panel and from said solar panel through said outlet to said storage container, said system comprising:
energization sensing means for supplying a first signal when heat exchange can be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium;
de-energization sensing means for sensing the difference in temperatures of said heat exchange medium at said inlet and said outlet of said solar panel for supplying a second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium;
and circuit means connected to said energization sensing means and said de-energization sensing means, said circuit means responsive to said first signal for energizing said circulation control means and to said second signal for de-energizing said circulation control means.
energization sensing means for supplying a first signal when heat exchange can be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium;
de-energization sensing means for sensing the difference in temperatures of said heat exchange medium at said inlet and said outlet of said solar panel for supplying a second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium;
and circuit means connected to said energization sensing means and said de-energization sensing means, said circuit means responsive to said first signal for energizing said circulation control means and to said second signal for de-energizing said circulation control means.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein said energization sensing means comprises storage container temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature in said storage container, solar panel temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said solar panel, and comparator means connected to both said storage container and solar panel temperature sensing means for providing said first signal dependent upon the temperatures of said solar panel and said storage container.
11. The system of claim 9 wherein said de-energization sensing means comprises:
inlet temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said heat exchange medium at said inlet of said solar panel;
outlet temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said heat exchange medium at the outlet of said solar panel; and comparator means connected to said inlet and outlet temperature sensing means for supplying said second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium.
inlet temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said heat exchange medium at said inlet of said solar panel;
outlet temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said heat exchange medium at the outlet of said solar panel; and comparator means connected to said inlet and outlet temperature sensing means for supplying said second signal when heat exchange can no longer be made between said solar panel and said heat exchange medium.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein said circuit means comprises switch means responsive to said first signal for energizing said circulation control means.
13. The system of claim 12 wherein said circuit means further comprises time delay switch means connected to said switch means and to at least one of said energization and de-energization sensing means for maintaining said circulation control means energized for at least a pre-determined length of time to allow stabilization of the temperatures of said heat exchange medium in said inlet and outlets of said solar panel.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein said time delay switch means comprises first time delay means connected to said energization sensing means for maintaining said circulation control means energized for at least a predetermined length of time and second time delay means connected to said com-parator means and to said first time delay means for delaying the de-energization of said circulation control means for a (claim 14 cont.) predetermined length of time for preventing the turnoff of said circulation control means due to false signals.
15. The system of claim 14 wherein said energization sensing means comprises storage container temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature in said storage container, a solar panel temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of said solar panel, and comparator means connected to both said storage container and solar panel temperature sensing means and to said first time delay means and to said switch means for providing said first signal dependent upon the temperatures of said solar panel and said storage container.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein said switch means comprises a relay having coil and contacts and wherein said first and second time relay switch means each comprises time delay relays.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA267,246A CA1083249A (en) | 1976-12-06 | 1976-12-06 | Optimized controller for solar panels |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA267,246A CA1083249A (en) | 1976-12-06 | 1976-12-06 | Optimized controller for solar panels |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1083249A true CA1083249A (en) | 1980-08-05 |
Family
ID=4107446
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA267,246A Expired CA1083249A (en) | 1976-12-06 | 1976-12-06 | Optimized controller for solar panels |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1083249A (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4397301A (en) * | 1981-08-25 | 1983-08-09 | Canadian Patents & Dev. Limited | Method of controlling a solar system collector loop |
| GB2467800A (en) * | 2009-02-17 | 2010-08-18 | Andrew Hill | System in which the temperature of a heat supplier and a heat consumer are compared |
| CN111718017A (en) * | 2020-06-17 | 2020-09-29 | 贵州环锦盛环保科技有限公司 | River sewage treatment device with oxygenation function |
-
1976
- 1976-12-06 CA CA267,246A patent/CA1083249A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4397301A (en) * | 1981-08-25 | 1983-08-09 | Canadian Patents & Dev. Limited | Method of controlling a solar system collector loop |
| GB2467800A (en) * | 2009-02-17 | 2010-08-18 | Andrew Hill | System in which the temperature of a heat supplier and a heat consumer are compared |
| CN111718017A (en) * | 2020-06-17 | 2020-09-29 | 贵州环锦盛环保科技有限公司 | River sewage treatment device with oxygenation function |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |